Population trends of forest birds in Missouri, USA: Comparison of point count data with predictions from the BBS [abstract]

Abstract only availableLong-term population size trends of Neotropical migrants and other forest birds are of primary concern for conservation biologists. The Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) has become an important tool for biologists in estimating population trends, but because surveys are conducted only along roads, its utility for forest interior species may be limited. We analyzed a long term (1991-2006) point count data set from the interior of three forested sites in central Missouri and compared our trend estimates to BBS trends for the state of Missouri. Using a mixed model analysis of variance with year as a fixed effect and point as a random effect, we generated trend estimates for thirteen species. Results/Conclusions Five species (38%) exhibited statistically significant negative trends indicating species decline, four species (31%) exhibited positive trends indicating that populations increased, three species (23%) exhibited no significant trend, and data from one species did not adequately fit the model. Of the nine species with significant trends in our point count data, seven (78%) had trends that were qualitatively similar to those generated from BBS data. However, for both of the species with contrasting trends, model predictions were strongly different. Our results suggest that the accuracy of BBS trends for forest interior birds may be species specific. We hope to strengthen our conclusions by incorporating point count data from other field sites and by controlling for observer effects in future analyses.NSF Undergraduate Mentoring in Environmental Biolog

Monitoring the South African National Antiretroviral Treatment Programme, 2003-2007: the IeDEA Southern Africa collaboration.

OBJECTIVES: To introduce the combined South African cohorts of the International epidemiologic Databases to Evaluate AIDS Southern Africa (IeDEA-SA) collaboration as reflecting the South African national antiretroviral treatment (ART) programme; to characterise patients accessing these services; and to describe changes in services and patients from 2003 to 2007. DESIGN AND SETTING: Multi-cohort study of 11 ART programmes in Gauteng, Western Cape, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal. SUBJECTS: Adults and children (<16 years old) who initiated ART with > or =3 antiretroviral drugs before 2008. RESULTS: Most sites were offering free treatment to adults and children in the public sector, ranging from 264 to 17,835 patients per site. Among 45,383 adults and 6,198 children combined, median age (interquartile range) was 35.0 years (29.8-41.4) and 42.5 months (14.7-82.5), respectively. Of adults, 68% were female. The median CD4 cell count was 102 cells/microl (44-164) and was lower among males than females (86, 34-150 v. 110, 50-169, p<0.001). Median CD4% among children was 12% (7-17.7). Between 2003 and 2007, enrolment increased 11-fold in adults and 3-fold in children. Median CD4 count at enrolment increased for all adults (67-111 cells/microl, p<0.001) and for those in stage IV (39-89 cells/microl, p<0.001). Among children <5 years, baseline CD4% increased over time (11.5-16.0%, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: IeDEA-SA provides a unique opportunity to report on the national ART programme. The study describes dramatically increased enrolment over time. Late diagnosis and ART initiation, especially of men and children, need attention. Investment in sentinel sites will ensure good individual-level data while freeing most sites to continue with simplified reporting

Gender differences in survival among adult patients starting antiretroviral therapy in South Africa: a multicentre cohort study.

Increased mortality among men on antiretroviral therapy (ART) has been documented but remains poorly understood. We examined the magnitude of and risk factors for gender differences in mortality on ART

Estimating the impact of antiretroviral treatment on adult mortality trends in South Africa: A mathematical modelling study

Substantial reductions in adult mortality have been observed in South Africa since the mid-2000s, but there has been no formal evaluation of how much of this decline is attributable to the scale-up of antiretroviral treatment (ART), as previous models have not been calibrated to vital registration data. We developed a deterministic mathematical model to simulate the mortality trends that would have been expected in the absence of ART, and with earlier introduction of ART

Structural Basis for α-Conotoxin Potency and Selectivity

Parkinson\u27s disease is a debilitating movement disorder characterized by altered levels of α6β2* nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) localized on presynaptic striatal catecholaminergic neurons. α-Conotoxin MII (α-CTx MII) is a highly useful ligand to probe α6ß2 nAChRs structure and function, but it does not discriminate among closely related α6* nAChR subtypes. Modification of the α-CTx MII primary sequence led to the identification of α-CTx MII[E11A], an analog with 500-5300 fold discrimination between α6* subtypes found in both human and non-human primates. α-CTx MII[E11A] binds most strongly (femtomolar dissociation constant) to the high affinity α6* nAChR, a subtype that is selectively lost in Parkinson\u27s disease. Here we present the three-dimensional solution structure for α-CTx MII[E11A] as determined by two-dimensional 1H NMR spectroscopy to 0.13 +/- 0.09 Ǻ backbone and 0.45 +/- 0.08 Ǻ heavy atom root mean square deviation from mean structure. Structural comparisons suggest that the increased hydrophobic area of α-CTx MII[E11A] relative to other members of the α-CTx family may be responsible for its exceptionally high affinity for α6α4β2* nAChR as well as discrimination between α6ß2 and α3β2 containing nAChRs. This finding may enable the rational design of novel peptide analogs that demonstrate enhanced specificity for α6* nAChR subunit interfaces and provide a means to better understand nAChR structural determinants that modulate brain dopamine levels and the pathophysiology of Parkinson\u27s disease

Combined collider constraints on neutralinos and charginos

Searches for supersymmetric electroweakinos have entered a crucial phase, as the integrated luminosity of the Large Hadron Collider is now high enough to compensate for their weak production cross-sections. Working in a framework where the neutralinos and charginos are the only light sparticles in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model, we use gambit to perform a detailed likelihood analysis of the electroweakino sector. We focus on the impacts of recent ATLAS and CMS searches with 36 fb$^{-1}$ of 13 TeV proton-proton collision data. We also include constraints from LEP and invisible decays of the $Z$ and Higgs bosons. Under the background-only hypothesis, we show that current LHC searches do not robustly exclude any range of neutralino or chargino masses. However, a pattern of excesses in several LHC analyses points towards a possible signal, with neutralino masses of $(m_{\tilde{\chi}_1^0}, m_{\tilde{\chi}_2^0}, m_{\tilde{\chi}_3^0}, m_{\tilde{\chi}_4^0})$ = (8-155, 103-260, 130-473, 219-502) GeV and chargino masses of $(m_{\tilde{\chi}_1^{\pm}}, m_{\tilde{\chi}_2^{\pm}})$ = (104-259, 224-507) GeV at the 95% confidence level. The lightest neutralino is mostly bino, with a possible modest Higgsino or wino component. We find that this excess has a combined local significance of $3.3\sigma$, subject to a number of cautions. If one includes LHC searches for charginos and neutralinos conducted with 8 TeV proton-proton collision data, the local significance is lowered to 2.9$\sigma$. We briefly consider the implications for dark matter, finding that the correct relic density can be obtained through the Higgs-funnel and $Z$-funnel mechanisms, even assuming that all other sparticles are decoupled. All samples, gambit input files and best-fit models from this study are available on Zenodo.Comment: 38 pages, 16 figures, v3 is the version accepted by EPJ

Developing a clinical trial unit to advance research in an academic institution

AbstractResearch, clinical care, and education are the three cornerstones of academic health centers in the United States. The research climate has always been riddled with ebbs and flows, depending on funding availability. During a time of reduced funding, the number and scope of research studies have been reduced, and in some instances, a field of study has been eliminated. Recent reductions in the research funding landscape have led institutions to explore new ways to continue supporting research. Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN has developed a clinical trial unit within the Department of Medicine, which provides shared resources for many researchers and serves as a solution for training and mentoring new investigators and study teams. By building on existing infrastructure and providing supplemental resources to existing research, the Department of Medicine clinical trial unit has evolved into an effective mechanism for conducting research. This article discusses the creation of a central unit to provide research support in clinical trials and presents the advantages, disadvantages, and required building blocks for such a unit